Blood sugar tracking is officially an area of general wellness. Abbott announced Thursday that its non-prescription continuous glucose monitor, Lingo, will currently available Sold in the US. it's been cleared Published by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for adults who do not use insulin and want insight into how their diet and daily routine affect their blood sugar.
Lingo pricing Pricing for a two-week sensor starts at $49 and increases depending on the length of your plan. You can purchase using FSA or HSA dollars. Lingo is already available in the UK.
Last month, Dexcom, another diabetes technology company, announced that an over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor called Stelo is now available for purchase. The stereo is cleared Published by the FDA for people with diabetes who don't require insulin and for adults who want more insight into how the foods they eat affect their blood sugar levels. that A 2-pack of sensors costs $99.enough for one month. Like Lingo, you can purchase using FSA and HSA dollars.
Blood sugar is the main form of energy for everyone, although people with diabetes need to monitor their blood sugar levels to ensure they have the right amount to keep their bodies safe. It also measures how well your body uses blood sugar. metabolic health — A term that the medical community is still researching to describe how the body uses energy and what risks a person is exposed to. health problems Like heart disease.
But it's difficult to accurately track blood sugar levels, or even know exactly what it means to be “metabolically healthy.” What we eat, the type of exercise we've recently done, and even the stress we're under can affect our blood sugar levels. Additionally, consumer wearable products such as smartwatches and smart rings cannot measure blood sugar levels, although there are counterfeit devices on the market that are not FDA cleared.
This means that the world of blood sugar has long been the domain of diabetes technology companies like Dexom and Abbott. The company already has sensors and technology called continuous blood glucose monitors, which many diabetics use every day. And leading diabetes technology companies continue to build the framework to bring metabolic health more mainstream. Both of Abbott's over-the-counter CGMS are based on the popular FreeStyle Libre sensor technology, and Dexcom's non-prescription Stelo follows the popular G6 and G7 CGM technology for insulin users.
Here's what we know about new commercially available CGMs and insights from companies working on new non-invasive ways to measure blood sugar levels.
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Dexcom's Stelo is a continuous glucose monitor for diabetics that does not require insulin, opening the biosensor market to patients with type 2 diabetes.
In-store CGM is officially here. Who actually needs that?
Dexcom's stereo is available now. It's designed with people with type 2 diabetes and prediabetes in mind, allowing you to see how different foods, sleep habits, stressful events, and more affect your blood sugar levels . There was that too cleared The FDA is targeting adults who want to “better understand how diet and exercise affect their blood sugar levels.”
Abbott's Lingo, which was announced at CES 2022 with plans for the first biosensor to track things other than glucose, is also available for purchase. F.D.A. cleared Another blood sugar monitor from Abbott was created specifically for people with type 2 diabetes earlier this summer, but is no longer available.
A CGM is placed on the back of your arm like a small bandage. Once installed, a small sensor located just under the skin reads blood sugar information and sends it to the paired app. This allows you to track blood sugar information throughout the day and note trends. Some CGMs are already Used for “biohacking” blood sugar levels Created by people who want to know how their body reacts to food and what affects blood sugar levels. companies such as nutrisense is marketed as a consumer device, but requires a prescription, which is processed through the website.
But the question is, “Who actually needs these?” It remains. as a doctorRobert H. Schmerling writes: Harvard Health Publishing articleCGM can cost thousands of dollars per year, and companies that promote the use of CGM to the general public can make significant profits in the health sector. There's no research to support that External diabetes management. Abbott said in a press release that only 12% of American adults Considered “metabolically healthy” However, measuring blood sugar levels is only one of several factors used to assess metabolic health.
on the other hand, 1 in 3 Americans has prediabetes — One step away from reversible type 2 diabetes. By providing actionable information about trends in higher-than-average blood sugar levels, we have the potential to give more people, those who can afford it, the information they need to make choices for their health. there is. Neither Dexcom nor Abbott have disclosed exact pricing for consumer CGMs at this time, but CGMs for diabetics without health insurance will cost Remains a barrier to healthcare access.
Because consumer CGMs do not require a prescription and are likely not considered medically necessary in many cases, over-the-counter CGMs are still expensive for people who may be at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes. may pay. The high cost of biosensors is one reason why there is interest in non-invasive and more consumer-friendly methods for tracking blood sugar levels.
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At CES 2022, Abbott announced a new line of consumer biowearables called Lingo for people who don't have diabetes and don't need a prescription. It will be launched in the UK first, and will be launched in the US market this summer.
Non-invasive blood glucose monitoring appears at American Diabetes Association conference
There's no way to accurately measure blood sugar levels, at least not without getting a little under someone's skin. Even CGM, although perhaps less invasive than a finger prick, requires a small sensor in a wearable patch.
A company, Get to know the labis working to change that. The company is American Diabetes Association Academic Sessions in Orlando earlier this summer. presented promising results It's about the wearable device KnowU's ability to consistently measure blood sugar levels without penetrating the skin. The company is still far from ready to bring the device to market and is still collecting data to send to the FDA. The prototype is still larger than a CGM, so even if it's less invasive, it could be harder to sell. But the company is looking to expand on the idea and use of photonics and sensors that are already built into smartwatches (for a variety of purposes) and used to measure factors such as blood oxygen.
Because LEDs can't accurately track glucose information, Know Labs had to go “further out on the electromagnetic spectrum,” company CEO Ron Erickson told CNET. He said that while a medical-grade device would likely be the company's first step, he is not opposed to opening up its patented technology to consumer wearable devices.
Erickson calls Know Labs' technology “form factor agnostic,” and hopes to be able to track blood sugar levels to understand health trends. This is the essence of consumer wearables that provide health trends.
“My long-term vision is to go beyond blood sugar levels to predict health,” he said.
